Rally at Park St. Station for peace in Korea, Thursday Aug. 30th. Keumjoo Armstrong, of Peace and Unification Action Boston spoke at the rally then reported on her summer trip to S. Korea and accompanying Rev. Jesse Jackson on his trip.

Sunday, July 29,2018 -100 people attended yesterday's Peace Abbey event where nine new plaques were dedicated. Faith and Janet and I attended from Metrowest Peace Action.

Senator Warren in Natick today. She is just back from the Middle East. I'd like to ask what she thinks of our foreign policy there and how would she change it?*07/08/2018 Natick Town Hall and Cookout with Elizabeth Warren*Sunday, July 8, 2 - 5 PMBelkin Family Lookout Farm, 89 Pleasant St., Natick, MA 01760Doors open at 2:00 PM, and the event will begin at 3:00 PM. Admission is first come, first served.Elizabeth Warren will be talking and answering questions about how she's holding the Trump Administration accountable and fighting for Massachusetts families in the Senate. Come learn how you can get in this fight in 2018, and join her and her team afterwards for family fun and a cookout.This event is free and open to the public, but please RSVP at: http://my.elizabethwarren.com/naticktownhall

A wonderful Iftar dinner last night packed the Common Street Spiritual Center. I spoke to a young man who remembers two wars growing up in Iraq: The Iran-Iraq war which was far away and the first Gulf war. I am still trying to imagine what it was like for a young boy to grow up in a war. Like he said you have to experience it to 'imagine' it. We caused that war and we welcomed him to America. He appreciates America but misses his homeland-it seems so pointless and sad. Shareen Akhtar introduced many of us to activist in the Palestine rights struggle. One I met was Betsy Abrams who recently had her first letter to the editor published in the Boston Globe posted below. Thanks to Susan and Jan for letting me know about the Iftar.

Horrified by loss of Palestinian livesAs a Jew and an American, I am horrified and heartbroken about the devastating loss of Palestinian lives in Gaza. The misguided policies of the Trump administration, which led to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, are incendiary and wreaking havoc on all peace efforts.The Globe’s coverage has done little to acknowledge the complexity of the issues affecting the situation. It’s important to recognize the peacemakers on all sides, including the thousands of US Jews and Israelis seeking an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and, likewise, the many committed Palestinians involved in working for a peaceful resolution.As Ramadan is beginning, I urge my fellow Jews and non-Jews to reach out across the things that would divide us, listen to each other’s pain, and work together toward creating a better world.Betsy AbramsJamaica Plainin the Boston Globe on May 16th. "

Great to be back at the Peace Abbeyand remembering those who worked for peace non-violently. In a show of solidarity the names of Sherborn war dead were read from in front of the War Memorial next to the Peace Abbey.The five journalists killed in France were remembered, Lewis's son gave tribute to Barry Crimmins, and nine new plaques were dedicated.

Tired of honoring veterans without a plan to end endless wars?Join Mass. Peace Action today,May 27th at noon in Lexington as we walk to Hanscom to protest nuclear weapons expansion.http://masspeaceaction.org/event/shout-heard-around-the-world/

Did you know that currently 53 cents of every federal discretionary dollar goes to military spending and only 15 cents is spent on anti-poverty programs?

Martha and Carol represented Metrowest Peace Action at statewide meeting of peace and justice groups in Worcester May 19th, 2018.

New evidence that Iran violated the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA? Not so fast.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu defends Iran nuclear claims in face of criticismNonproliferation experts who spoke with CNN say Netanyahu provided no evidence that Iran contravened the terms of the agreement. Moreover, they say there was nothing new in Netanyahu's speech. And the other signatories to the JCPOA, with the notable exception of America, agree with that assessment."There's nothing new in the material that Netanyahu revealed yesterday. All of it was information that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) already had and has already commented on," said Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and an expert on nonproliferation.

Puerto Rican activist released from a 32 year prison sentence in May of '17 , OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA , delivers message of gratitude and opposition to the fear and hate that prevails in our government.

TUESDAY April 3rd is the new date for MEMORY OF FORGOTTEN WAR.Same time, same place. Morse Institute Library Natick, 14 E. Central St., Natick, Community Room on lower level.Wed. March 21-Movie CANCELLED due to No-snow snowstorm.

Tues April 3rd, 2018 "Memory of Forgotten War" movie on the Korean War and how it impacts us today. Morse Institute Library Natick, 14 E. Central St., Community Room on lower level7:00 PM - 8:30 PM.Q & A - How can we encourage a diplomatic solution?Paul Atwood, PhD Senior Lecturer at UMass. Boston will lead discussion after the movie.Sponsored by Metrowest Peace Action, Pax Christi MetroWestFree and open to the public.

At South Station Feb. 15, 2018 organized by Smedley Vets for Peace.

Promoting justice and non-violent conflict resolution

Our February 2018 meeting will be Saturday February 17th at noon at the Morse Institute Library, Natick Room 1A at noon.

January 2018 meeting will be on Saturday, January 27th at 12:00- 1:30 at the Natick Library in Room 1A. Please RSVP to smilincoke@gmail.com. Thank you.

November 2017 meetingNov. 11, Sat. 12:15 PMat the Common St. Spiritual Center, 14 Common St. Natick, MA. Room 1A, upstairs on the west side or left facing the front of church.We meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month. We will discuss actions to promote peace and particularly ,now, to avoid war, nuclear or otherwise with N.Korea.

The peace vigil has resumed - every Saturday from 11-12 at Natick Corner Rt. 27 and 135.

Leave it to the National Review to try to justify military action in Korea to stop their missile tests.How about the real diplomatic solution: a freeze for a freeze? We'll stop or curtail military exercises in South Korea if N. Korea stops missile tests. Maybe we could even fulfill our obligation to reduce nuclear weapons under the NPT treaty instead of violating in by building new ones.http://www.nationalreview.com/article/451660/north-korean-nuclear-threat-case-preemptive-defense-offenseLook a the boon this would be for defense contractors!

Lines to get in-reminds me of Bernie events.

Between the racist sentiments emanating from the far right and the threats of nuclear attacks on Korea by #45, several of us felt compelled to renew a vigil. ON Saturday August 19th at noon we assembled on the corner and at the CSSC church. Thanks to Medway "No Home for Hate" people for joining us and Common Street Spiritual Center and everyone concerned about losing our country's values. We know we are better together and are not afraid to say so!

Occupation of the American Mind - Movie screeningJune 3rd, 6:00 PM,Common St. Spiritual Center, Natick.This documentary takes an eye-opening look at the pro-Israeli public relations campaign in America.

Workshop on Impacting Congress with Raed Jarrar of AFSC and Alli McCracken of Code Pink at Simmons College Dec. 3rd.

To that end per hour meeting on October 15th, MWPA urges formation of action coalitions to protest the following:- U.S. intervention in Syria;- threats of a no-fly zone in Syria, an act of war;- naval attacks on Yemen;- participation in the Saudi war against Yemen.

Next Metrowest Peace Action meetingSaturday November 12, 2016

Medea Benjamin of Code Pink talks about her new book, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection, at the First Parish in Framingham Wednesday night. She talked about the fascinating and unique history of the merging of two forces in the region: The Saud family and the Iman Wahab. A powerful and autocratic combination. She talked about forces within the country who are calling for reforms and democratization and especially women's rights. In particular they are calling for the end of the "guardianship laws" whereby women must have permission from a male guardian to leave the house, go to school etc. Though the peace movement has shrunk since the days of George Bush we should have no illusions about the next President: whoever is elected in November they will be anxious to start and continue these wars. Day one we continue to fight for peace and due to an embarrassment of civilian deaths in Yemen we may actually be able to slow weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and end our participation in this war. We should advocate to help rebuild Yemen.

Phyllis Bennis talks Syria at a Bristol Community College class yesterday. A pro-active idea: Communities should volunteer to take Syrian refugees. Set up a plan to adopt a family and then let the State Department know! Volunteer to take them. I like it.

Rev. Ian Mevorach joins other leaders of faith to stand up for a moral revival in public policy September 12th at the State House. Rep. Linsky was unable to attend as he had district meetings. Faith and I attended and saw one elected official that we recognized: Rep. Byron Rushing. Speakers asked if legislators agreed we should take care of the sick first and if not why?

Peace Action intern walks the talk and is quoted in Dedham News: Matthew Hahm, a rising senior at Boston College double-majoring in Sociology and Theology, is among the latter category. As he carried two cardboard signs from Billings Field at the corner of Centre and LaGrange Streets to Theodore Parker Church where the group was to have dinner, receive anti-oppression training and spend the night, he discussed why he has taken action, linking this battle over the West Roxbury Lateral to the broader pattern of climate change around the globe.“For my courses I’ve learned a lot more about how much we’re affecting the environment in a negative way. Just from my personal research I’ve seen that this is probably one of the biggest issues of our times. Trying to solve this is going to take all of us, and so we can’t just sit on the fence and say, ‘Oh, this is somebody else’s problem,’ or ‘This doesn’t involve me.’ All of us have to be part of this… The poor are often located in areas that are prone to flooding and natural disasters. I don’t find that OK. It’s not fair, it’s unjust that the poor and the oppressed, those who are most vulnerable, have to suffer the most, and the rich are the ones who are causing most of the disasters for our climate.”​

The man who shot the Baton Rouge police, made a statement on one of his internet sites that no revolution has ever been successful without violence. Is it possible he never learned or forgot about Gandhi's successful campaign for Indian independence from Britain, or the sit-ins in Nashville that desegregated lunch counters and schools, or the Solidarity labor movement in Poland that defeated a Communism regime, or the "No" Campaign that brought down the dictator Pinochet in Chile? Do we teach this in the schools? Gavin went to a couple of colleges and did quite well at times. Where did he get the notion that revolutions are only successful with violence or fighting back? Perhaps that's the prevailing presumption in America after all. Violence is how we solve lots of our problems. Do we need to teach more about the power of non-violence? Those innocent police officers and Afro-American victims of police violence might not be dead if we studied peace more and war less. Time to change our ways.

Our July meeting is this Saturday July 9th at the Natick Library at 12:30 in Room 1A. We will plan upcoming events and what we can do to stop US involvement in the Syrian war.

TEXTRON Demo today

general Site of Demonstration to be in Wilmington, parking instructions to follow.

From the Quaker newsletter on their Textron vigil:I am not here to blame any workers at Textron. We are all complicit in our participation in the US war machine. I pray on this site to remind myself and to ask all Americans to turn away from our dependence on war. The US must stop using weapons made here at Textron to bludgeon other countries into a US agenda. War and domination over other governments is an abomination. Quakers seek the withdrawal from all activities which lead to manufacturing, sale and use of the weapons made at Textron.

Wednesday July 6th, 4-6 PM, at 201 Lowell St., Wilmington, MACarpools will be leaving from Cambridge and the Millis area around 3 PM. Contact me at coakley50@earthlink.net or call 508 376-8495 to indicate your interest.Why I want to protest the manufacture of cluster bombs at Textron.Our deal with Saudi Arabia when we sold them cluster bombs was that they would not use them in civilian areas.They have dropped them in Yemen in civilians areas. If there are no areas where there aren't civilian areas then they should not use them.Saudi Arabia has intervened in a civil war and it is thought that they are more interested in quelling a rebellion than defeating ISIS.The United States is the only country that manufactures cluster bombs, called Sensor Fuzed Weapons by Textron.We have allied ourselves with Saudi Arabia, who we know is a country whose human rights are not aligned with ours.

Why do some people think more violence will stop violence? What have we learned from the other wars?

Here is Kim Tabatabaei speaking at the forum on Syria. Kim is an Iranian/American high school student in Newton. She and Jennifer Horsburgh, also of Newton High organized this workshop to talk about the history of the region and the condition of Syrian refugees. Jeff Klein did a brief overview of the history of the area and began with an explanation of why the Middle East is called that. When England was in the heyday of its colonial empires this was an area on the way to the Far East which had already been colonized. Angela Kelly spoke about her experiences on the Greek border helping Syrian refugees on their way out of Syria. Maha, a Syrian/American talked about her trips to Syria with her family. Her parents left Syria so their children did not have to live under a dictatorship where it was illegal to criticize Assad. Her mother spoke about how happy she was that Maha was allowed to give a talk and, as much as she loves Syria now after many visits with her family, can now criticize it without fear of arrest. The stories were heartwrenching but they suggested many ways we can help the Syrian refugees. The US pledged to accept 10,000 but so far have only accepted 1756 refugees.They took up a collection of shoes and socks for the refugees. A woman from Newton is going over in a week. Also they recommended donations to NuDay Syria.

Sat. May 14th, Brief Meeting atCommon St. Spiritual Centerat 1:00. At one thirty those who wouldlike can car pool to Newton for the talkon Syria.

Mother's Day Walk For PeaceSunday, May 08, 2016Join the peace team including myself and Claire Gosslein and walk with us. $ nice but not required.DAY OF REGISTRATION OPENS 6:00amWalk Start 8:00am: Town Field Park, Fields Corner1520 Dorchester AvenueDorchester, MA 02122

Today!Jam for Bread… and water and shelter and hope… An afternoon of Jazz to benefit Syrian RefugeesSunday, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm -- April 3Jam for Bread… and water and shelter and hope…An afternoon of Jazzto benefit Syrian RefugeesNo admission charge. Please give generously to our free-will offering!Open Spirit, A Place of Hope, Health & Harmony

In pic above, Karen, (Puja out of picture) Carol, Martha, Faith and John meeting with Sen. Spilka to discuss her upcoming trip to Israel paid for by Jewish Community Relations Council from a grant from Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

Next Meeting of MWPASat., January 9, 2015,1:00 PM, Comm St. Spiritual Center

-Sept 26. MWPA Meeting in Natick at 1:00 at Common St. Spiritual Center

A rapt audience at the Kinzer and friends event on Sep 8 Re-Imagining the Middle East.

Rally at Kennedy's to Support the Iran Deal, 8.26.15

August 23, Sunday, Bernie Sanders in Town Hall Meeting in Salem NH

The overflow room at Woodbury School, Salem NH.

Is it possible that our representatives have heard the message that we want to give peace a chance, that diplomacy is better than force?!! Okay I don't want to get too carried away,but I see it as a good sign that Senator Markey has signed on to the Iran deal. I thank him for his support. And I thank all of you for continuing in the sometimes lonely struggle for peace.

Giving peace a chance! WAND Exec. Director Susan Shaer and members and Rep. Paul Heroux meet with Markey on the Iran deal. Thanks to everyone for contacting Markey. Keep up the pressure: Call 202-224-2742 or emailhttp://www.markey.senate.gov/contact

PIcs from last year's Hiroshima commemoration.

The Iran DealGood news: Rep. Seth Moulton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have come out publicly approving of the Iran deal. Now waiting for Clark, Kennedy, Tsongas and the others. Please continue to call them and encourage diplomacy over possible war. Things are looking up but millions are being spent to defeat this negotiated settlement.

Janet and I had the pleasure tonight of hearing Kinzer and Moghadam at Suffolk University explaining the causes of the Syrian civil war and Isis. Kudos to Rep. Peter Durant(R) for attending and asking probing questions. In a word don't believe what you hear on the mainstream press. We don't know who our enemy is, so it is best we stay out of this one and stop selling arms to everyone (especially Saudi Arabia) willing to buy them. Moghadam says the hegemon can no longer inspire and Kinzer reminds us that we need to learn the lessons of empire blowback and reactivate our diplomatic skills.

Stephen Kinzer and Val Moghadam will speak tonight, Monday February 1st 2015, about how we can make peace in the Middle East. How do we fight violent adversaries like ISIS? How do we begin to make friends with out enemies. At Suffolk University, 120 Tremont St., Boston at 7:00 PM.

The Inside-Outside Prison Exchange Program: Collaboration between Framingham State University and MCI-FraminghamThursday, October 22, 7:00pmMain Library, Costin RoomGUEST SPEAKER: Daisy Ball, Assistant Professor of Sociology & Program Coordinator for Criminology, FSUAn explanation of the program in which students take classes alongside inmates, and some students involved will reflect on their classroom experiences at MCI-Framingham.

Kinzer, Walt, Tabatabaei and Jimmy Tingle did a wonderful job last night supporting the Iran deal...One could feel a sense of optimism for improved relations with Iran!

Thank you to Mike Passarini for recording this video.

﻿Dr. Elaine Scarry emphasizes a point at her talk at the Framingham Library on July 16th. Those who were lucky enough to attend heard an inspired argument against nuclear weapons and signed letters to our Representatives and learned of other ways to work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.﻿

Thanks to Rep. James McGovern for signing the Eshoo letter to save Susiya. We write to you with great urgency to express our serious concern about the recent decisions made by the High Court of Israel to allow the demolition of the Palestinian village of Susiya, and deny the planning rights of Palestinian Villages in Area C of the West Bank. Kennedy and Clark who will tell you that settlements are a problem have not signed on . Why?

(Boston, June 29) President Obama recently announced that he is sending 450 more U.S. troops to Iraq. Tomorrow, Tuesday June 30, residents of Greater Boston will protest this new escalation. The rally will take place in Harvard Square and will begin at 5pm. The event is sponsored by the United for Justice with Peace coalition which was formed after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. These new troops join 3050 other “boots on the ground” along with U.S. warships and jet bombers. They are setting up a U.S. military base on Iraqi soil. The U.S. started bombing in Iraq again last August. These actions are called war. Further escalations no doubt lie just down the road. “It was not that long ago that we spent over a trillion dollars and lost over 4500 lives in our massive Iraq war”, states Thea Paneth of Arlington. “That war that killed 600,000 Iraqis, destroyed the country and opened the door to the murderous group called ISIS in one of the greatest catastrophes in history for the people of the Middle East – to say nothing of the disaster it was for our country.” “Today we decided to bomb ISIS instead of hiring 196 full time teachers for a year to teach our kids in smaller classes” points out Cole Harrison of Mass. Peace Action. “Yesterday, we made the same decision. In fact for a year now we have made that decision every day and plan on making it every day for years to come. Who wins and who loses from that decision?” Paul Shannon of the American Friends Service Committee notes: “We have actually been bombing Iraq since 1991 to the tune of trillions of dollars and continuous agony for the people of that country. And look where we are today! We are told that this time war will work since our leaders don’t seem to know how to do anything else. But war is not the answer to the complicated disasters now occurring in the Middle East. ISIS is using our weapons it keeps stealing from the Iraqi army that we keep training and arming.” The rally will also call attention to other crises where “War is not the answer”. Saudi Arabia uses the jet bombers and weapons it purchases from the U.S. to commit massive atrocities from the air against the civilian population of Yemen. And in addition to arming and fueling Middle East conflicts, the U.S. is moving heavy tanks to countries on Russia’s border and escalating its military might facing China in its ominous “pivot” to Asia. We have not seen such heightened tensions between nuclear powers since the cold war. Cool heads and diplomacy are urgently needed before this tension gets out of hand.

A recent reminder from Lewis Randa: This article written in 1994 is a reminder that we have come a long way, we have a long way to go and we must not forget or suppress our ideals.http://www.peaceabbey.org/templatera/6298/

Dr. Elaine Scarry is the author of “Thermonuclear Monarchy”. She argues that the power of one leader to obliterate millions of people with a nuclear weapon deeply violates our constitutional rights, undermines the social contract, and is fundamentally at odds with democracy. After Dr. Scarry’s talk we will provide action steps you can take to move our elected representatives towards nuclear negotiations and nuclear abolition.

Our good friend and fellow vigiler, William O'Brien passed away this week at the age of 94. Bill was a natural peacemaker. He asked how you were, he thanked you for your work and he gave of himself always. I wanted to hear more about his time as a POW and found it on the Natick Library site, Veterans Oral History Project :http://www.natickvets.org/interview.php?vetid=221 We'll miss you Bill, but you left a legacy of peace and now we'll carry on the work and you can rest.

Vigil for Charleston ,SC at Fisk United Methodist Church at 106 Walnut St. in NatickNoon - 7:30 PM, June 21, Sunday.

On the agenda:

Planning for nuclear arms control speaker, Elaine Scarry, July 16th in Framingham, possible warrant article on Framingham Fall town meeting to renew their 1999 endorsement of a Nuclear Weapons Treaty, supporting peace in Israel and Palestine, coordination with other groups like NENJP. Please send additional items for the agenda to me at coakley50@earthlink.net or to metrowestpeaceaction@yahoogroups.com.

Sat. 6.20.15 - We are trying to confirm reports that McGovern signed the McCollum letter.As of this writing not one MA Congressman has signed on to Rep. McCollum's letter asking for Sec. Kerry to raise the priority of Palestinian children being mistreated in Israeli prisons. I have asked Rep. Kennedy to sign the letter by email to his foreign policy staffer, Caroline Darmody. As usual I have received no response. I encourage you to contact Rep. Clark and Kennedy and/or your own Congressperson to support “McCollum letter on Palestinian children’s human rights.”

The talk on Palestine was well attended by 15 or so people interested in learning more about Palestine and what we, as Americans, can do to help advance peace in Israel and Palestine. One suggestion that I have heard over and over again from people on the ground and diplomats in conflict areas is "do nothing". Even if our intentions are well meaning, our intervention can cause more problems. Serene's talk gave us a personal understanding of how her life is affected by the current situation. At our meeting on June 20th we will discuss actions we can take to try to change our government's policy in the region. For those of you who missed her excellent presentation, stayed tuned; the talk was recorded and may be available in the future.

Friday, June 12, 2015From the US to Palestine and BackCommon Street Spiritual Center13 Common St.Natick, MA6:00 Socializing and refreshments7:00 PM: talk beginsHaving grown up in the US , Jerusalem and Ramallah, Serene Murad, the daughter of an American and a Palestinian , she has a unique view of Israel and Palestine. Serene will talk about her life here and abroad and share her observations.Q & A will follow. Free and open to the public.Sponsored by Metrowest Peace Action

The NPT review conference ended with no agreement. There was one proposal to which most other countries agreed, but guess who objected to a date for a meeting to discuss a nuclear weapons free world? The US and Britain. Only in America and that ally across the pond.

June Meeting of Metrowest Peace Action, Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00 at Common St. Spiritual Center, Natick

Below, Kathy Kelly speaks after receiving the Sacco & Vanzetti award. Recently out of jail for protesting drones and just back from Kabul she spoke about the militarization of our foreign policy. Is it any surprise that there is blowback from the people we have sanctioned, invaded, occupied and killed with drones? There is no such thing as a humanitarian war. There were blue scarves available for sale to support the Afghan Peace Volunteers. David Rothauser and Bob D'Atillio did moving dramatic readings on Sacco and Vanzetti and Charlie King did several amazing musical pieces and an acapella piece parody of a song,' isn't it strange' about drones.

Kathy Kelly receiving the Sacco Vanzetti Award at Community Church of Boston on Sun., May 24, 2015.

Charlie King did several wonderful songs including an acapella parody on drones.

June 20, 2015 -Next Monthly MeetingCommon St. Spiritual Center, 1:00

Fifteen thousand strong at Mother's Day March for Peace!

Photo from the LDB Peace Institute website.

Scenes from Mother's Day Walk for Peace, May 10, 2015.

Walk with us for Peace! When: Sunday, May 10, 2015, 7:00 am to 10:30 amWhere: Town Field Park • 1520 Dorchester Ave • Fields Corner • Dorchester Massachusetts Peace Action is proud to support the work of the Louis D.Brown Peace Institute. Walk with us and contribute as you are able — and if you can’t do the walk, you can join our team virtually by your contributions and requesting contributions from others!Let's carpool in from the burbs and meet our city neighbors. It is a wonderful happy event and in spite of the deaths of so many of their children these mothers persevere to end violence and heal the survivors.We'll be leaving around 6 AM so you'll be home in time for Mother's Day brunches or to do some gardening. Call or email Carol at 508 376-8495 or coakley50@earthlink.net. If you are going in on your own, look for the Mass Peace Action banner.

Next meeting of Metrowest Peace Action is Sat., May 16th, 20151:00 PM at Common St. Spiritual Center, Common St. Natick.

METROWEST PEACE ACTION at Natick Earth Day this Sunday April 26th from 11 - 3 PM. We will exhibit the nuclear globe again and distribute literature for peace and reusable water bottle/boxes. Please stop by and visit. Join us for the Global Wave goodbye to nuclear weapons in solidarity with the Peace and Planet rally in NYC going on at the same time. We can take a photo and send it to the Global Wave website.

United National Anti-War Coalition (UNAC)Conference May 8 - 10, Seacaucus, NJ - for more info go to www.unacpeace.org

Pat Conaway advocates a ban on plastic bags in Natick. Go Pat! Saving the planet is one of the most peaceful things we can do.http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20150228/NEWS/150226388

January 10 Meeting of MetroWest Peace ActionSaturday at 1:00 PMat Common St. Community Church in NatickCole Harrison of Mass Peace Action will present proposed "Foreign Policy for All"Here is the working paper if you would like to review it beforehand: http://masspeaceaction.org/fp4a-working-paperOther agenda items on nuclear disarmament event and visits to Congresspeople, Natick Earth Day

﻿November 17, Monday 2014Occupy Natick is hosting a session with Rep. David Linsky and others on MAKING SAUSAGE or as we also say Making Legislation.It will be at 7 PM at Common St. Community Church. If you want change and think democracy works, please attend this session and learn how it is done.﻿

250 + people attended Mass Peace Action's Foreign Policy for All Conference on Sat., including many young people and students from local colleges. The speakers were very good and the workshops interesting. The proposal for a new foreign policy can be found at this link and I'd like to put it on the agenda for our next meeting: http://masspeaceaction.org/fp4a-working-paper. We can discuss using it as a possible framework for the work we and other peace activists do.

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Paula Sharaga (formerly of Holliston) and Sylvia Gilman, both members of Mass Peace Action, prepare for arrest in the Silver Maple Forest in Cambridge along with Dana Demetrio and Ben Beckwith on Friday Oct 17th.

Tevyn East performance October 25th SaturdayMaking Peace with the EarthCommon St. Church, Natick3:00 PM - 7 PMSkill sharing and a common meal

A Foreign Policy for AllSat. Nov 8 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, MIT Campus - Room 34-101 CambridgeMass. Peace Action takes on the challenge: If not war, what? Save the date and join us in this important discussion.

Peace Vigil at noon today Sat. September 27Route Nine and Edgell Rd., FraminghamStand UP for PEACE

Peace partners in New Bedford on Wed!
Nancy Arthur in blue jacket visited Kennedy with JVP and Mass Peace Action on Tues.

Southcoast Progressive Alliance gets out on the street! And very positive feedback from passersby!

Do you think our politicians are working for big money instead of you?Don't agonize, organize. Come hear what you can do to turn back the tide of corporate rule and take back our democracy.This is the final stop of Jeff Clements New England tour. He is a dynamic speaker and this is an issue that affects all of us and all of our issues, across party lines. ﻿Come listen and consider joining us in overturning the tide of Citizens United and McCutcheon.﻿

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 reopened what many people in America had long assumed was a settled ethical question: Is torture ever morally permissible? Within days, some began to suggest that, in these new circumstances, the new answer was "yes." Rebecca Gordon argues that September 11 did not, as some have said, "change everything," and that institutionalized state torture remains as wrong today as it was on the day before those terrible attacks. Furthermore, U.S. practices during the "war on terror" are rooted in a history that began long before September 11, a history that includes both support for torture regimes abroad and the use of torture in American jails and prisons. Rebecca Gordon received her B.A. from Reed College and her M.Div. and Ph.D. in Ethics and Social Theory from Graduate Theological Union. She teaches in the Philosophy department at the University of San Francisco and for the university’s Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good. Previous publications include Letters From Nicaragua and Cruel and Usual: How Welfare "Reform" Punishes Poor People.

THE NEWS from Israel/Palestine is even more disheartening than usual, but a few things mentioned, or not mentioned, in the news article “Youth’s death sparks clashes” (July 3) stand out. One is that, in searching for the killers of the three Jewish teenagers, Israeli forces have not only arrested “more than 400 alleged terror operatives” but also killed “at least five Palestinians.” Israeli forces have killed more people than were killed in the original crime. The teenagers were hitchhiking home from Jewish religious schools in the West Bank. Not mentioned is the fact that there should be no such schools in that area, which is supposed to be part of a Palestinian state, already shrunken from what was promised by the United Nations in 1947. The West Bank today is so riddled with Israeli settlements that it cannot, as configured now, be a Palestinian land. The Palestinians — who have no army, navy, or air force and little control over the places where they live — need security at least as much as Israelis. The great preponderance of violence comes from Israel, well-armed with US tax money. Eva S. Moseley Cambridge

"Citizen Koch" the movie at the Brattle Theater June 20-25th told the story of Scott Walker's conservative takeover of Wisconsin with the help of the Koch Bros. and Americans for Prosperity (AfP). AfP seems to be for Americans who are already prosperous organized to stay prosperous and take away your union benefits. Representing Mass. Peace Action on the panel Carol Coakley spoke about the influence of corporate money in defense spending and foreign policy.Clean Water Action and Move To Amend and Dan Miller were also on the panel.

June 18, 5- 6 PMToday's vigil with David, Faith, Janet (Carol and Dhruba not pictured)We got many thumbs up and peace signs. Thank you to the stalwarts who came and for those of you who could not join us but were with us in spirit.Our message is clear: violence begets violence and Iraq and its neighbors will have to work this one out on their own.We can help in many ways but bombing is not going to help.Remember upcoming meeting is Sat. June 21 at 11:00 AM at the Common St. Community Church,

"No Bombs on Iraq" Vigil Wednesday, June 18, 20145:00 - 6:00 PM at Natick Common﻿﻿Time to call for nonviolence.﻿In solidarity with Cambridge and Boston and multiple community vigils around the State.﻿

Interfering in a civil war with military aide is like pouring gasoline on a fire. Burn the guns and help the UN to help refugees.

For those who want to help refugees here is one agency: Please let us know of others you like.$55. buys a blanket and personal items, $345 buys a tent.USA for UNHCR1775 K Street, NW Suite 580Washington, DC 20006

Occupy NatickJune’s Free Movie Night: Monday, June 16th, 7-9pm: Money-Driven Medicine Please join us for our last movie night until September. Money-Driven Medicine explores the Medical-Industrial Complex and how the lust for profits is corrupting and distorting American healthcare.Sherrill Hall , St. Paul's Natick

Next meeting of MWPA is June 21st. 11:00 AMCommon St. Church13 Common St.Natick, MA

MWPA calls for no US military intervention in Ukraine. No arms to Syria. We call for fair negotiations with Iran on nuclear proliferation-no new sanctions. We call for a raise in the minimum wage.

Courage is contagious. Thanks to Ellsberg, Manning, and Snowden

May 22ndMovie on environmental action 7:00 PMat Common St. Church

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/article/20140428/NEWS/140426959/0/SEARCHEARTH DAY NATICK

Betsy Boggia of Occupy Natick checks out the non-nuclear parts of the world at last year's Earth Day.

APRIL 27, 2014 SUNDAY,NATICK EARTH DAY

MAY 17. 2014MetroWest Peace Action May Meeting will be on Saturday May 17th at 11:00 AM.14 Common St., NatickDownstairs in the Fellowship Hall Please send agenda items to me at coakley 50 @ earthlink.net

Fixing Our Broken Democracy Millis Library April 9, 2014

When Lee Ketelsen of Move to Amend starts her workshop she asks participants, "Do you think we have government of, by and for the people?"She rarely finds anyone who thinks so. And mostly people feel corporations, multinationals and the super rich run our governments now.Just knowing that our democracy is broken is a big step. Understanding how corporations have been given more rights than people is necessary and figuring out how to fix it is essential.A constitutional amendment is a sure way to begin that process as it could undo the Supreme Court rulings.

Bank of America - Paid Fewer Taxes than you and I!

Sat April 12 -Tax Day Rally in Boston - 12:30 at Bank of America on Boylston & Berkeley, 2:00 at Emmanuel Church at 15 Newbury St. - 2 of the three Mass. Congressmen who voted for the people's budget will be there...McGovern and Clark

Greater Boston Move to Amend held an event in Millis at the Millis Public Library Wed April 9th attended by 15 people who were privy to a workshop and presentation on the corrupting influence of corporations. Corporations now have more rights than people. Lee Ketelsen took us through the history of corporate rights expansion with a narrative enhanced by graphics and video clips. Through small group discussions we learned more from and about each other. The possible scenarios for correcting the problem including a constitutional amendment were explained. More workshops coming up in Framingham and Milford soon.

Common Street Church,14 Common St. Natick,In the Fellowship Hall downstairs below Farmer's Market(do your shopping and support local farmers)

Fixing Our Broken Democracy

Wed April 9, 2014A workshop on the rise of corporate power and the erosion of democracy. Move to Amend offers this 90-minute presentation to inform citizens of the effects of multiple Supreme Court decisions and the more recent Citizen's United and how a constitutional amendment would work to reclaim our
democracy. Lee Ketelsen, chief organizer with the Greater Boston
Move to Amend coalition will lead the workshop.

Sat March 29, 2014 , Attleboro Dems Breakfast, Murray UU Church, 8:30 AM, Democratic CandidatesBirddogging our candidates: A chance to meet and talk with our candidates running for office and tell them we care about peace, justice and the environment and that's why we want to reduce our reliance on the military as a tool of foreign policy.

Sat April 5, 2014 Monthly MWPA Meeting Time and Place TBDOliver Stone at BU 1:30

Film Screening: “Hollywood Snippets about Surveillance” & a Talk “Surveillance vs. Privacy in the Digital World: Why Should We Care?”- Part 2″ by Kade Crockford of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (ACLUM)When: Monday, November 18th, 7-9 p.m.Where: Sherrill Hall (St. Paul’s Episcopal Church), 39 E. Central Street (rear), Natick, MAAdmission: FREECo-Sponsors:OccupyNatick.organd ACLUM.org Light refreshments will be served. The event is part of our ongoing free monthly film and discussion series–The What Went Wrong Film Series– featuring topics such as alternative economies, money and politics, and environmental issues hosted by local members of Occupy Natick. For our November offering, we are happy to be able to present Part 2 of our feature about the growing “surveillance state” and how you can protect yourself from its prying eyes, ears and technology. In Part 1. we were privileged to present Zak Rogoff from the Free Software Foundation who talked about the issue of digital surveillance On November 18th, we continue with this theme in its larger ramifications with our speaker, Kade Crockford.

Monday, November 18, 2013 Boston 6-9 PM Paulist Center, 5 Park St. (Across from Park St. Station)Fear Not the Path of Truth is a film by Ross Caputi, a veteran of the 2nd siege of Fallujah, which was one of the largest and bloodiest operations of the Occupation of Iraq. This documentary is about his life after his experience in Fallujah, and his struggle to learn the truth about what he participated in amidst all the propaganda. It is also a documentary about Fallujah, the people who live there, and the human consequences of US foreign policy in their city.

MetroWest members vigil to stop military intervention in Syria at Natick Town Common.

APRIL 21, 2013 EARTHDAY NATICK

MetroWest Peace Action is a coalition of groups and individuals in the area west of Boston whose mission is to strengthen our work for justice and peace and to provide opportunities to learn and act on our commitment to non-violence.

Faith's letter to Rep. Linsky

Hi David,First, many thanks for your very generous and kind letter to our local Peace Action group, good to hear from you. Also, it was such a pleasure for me to stand with you early in the a.m. on election day, and hurray for the good results.

The group that is doing some great post election leg work for furthering the goals of our Budget for All petition has asked me to ask you if you'd be interested in (1) helping us to get a resolution passed in the legislature, and(2) getting your fellow legislators to raise federal budget issues publicly.It looks like our state is headed for another budget crisis while over $16 billion from Massachusetts goes directly into the military budget.

One of the signs I held at our weekly vigil for the last few years displayed, with updates, the current amount of how much Natick spent on the pentagon budget. That number, for the past 10 years has added up to over $200,000,000.

Thanks for reading my post, and I hope to hear from you, especially if you have questions, or if I can help you.Best,Faith

Budget for All

From Massachusetts to DC the people want a fair deal: save social security,

fair taxation, reduce the military and invest in good jobs.

DEC. 3, 2012 7:00 PM STOP THE DRONES

NATICK , MORSE INSTITUTE LIBRARY

Lois Mastrangelo and Paki Wieland will report on their trip to Pakistan to protest the use of Drones. Sponsored by Pax Christi Metrowest and MetroWest Peace Action.

Free and open to the public.

Statement on Gaza

MetroWest Peace Action is for an end to U.S. support for the military occupation of Palestine, the blockade of Gaza, and the current air war against Gaza by Israel. We are not for our government supporting a ground invasion of that territory by U.S. backed Israeli forces. We will support united action for these goals. We believe peace for both Israel and Palestinians will come through respect for human rights and negotiations, non violence.

Sudbury vigil

The original September meeting date of Sept 8 has been changed to Sept 15th due to Natick Days.

Agenda: October event: panel discussion or budget prioritiy speakersMeetings open to the public, new members welcome. Email coakley50@earthlink.net for more info.

Carol Coakley and Susan Massad in front of nuclear globe at Framingham Earth Day. The globe shows all of the nuclear power plants, the number of warheads and the nuclear free zones.

MA Peace Action's nuclear globe visits Earth Day Framingham

Thanks to the generous friends and members of MetroWest who collected $80 to help fund this ad. Go to no-war-with-Iran.com and and sign petition to Pres. Obama.
The ad is up on the "T" Red and Orange lines! Let Obama know -no more war.

Where do your tax dollars go?

Dec. 3, 2011 Natick Vigil

Peace and economic justice together.

Thank you Cong. Markey, You disappoint us Obama.

Carol Coakley, Faith Madzar and taking the picture Sarah Fuhro rally at Cong. Markey's office on Concord St. to thank him for supporting a withdrawal from Afghanistan. This was the day after Obama announced a disappointing withdrawal #.

Tax Day Tablingat Natick Library

Faith and Malcolm, braving the cold April 16th to Fund Our Communities

Thanks to Faith, Malcolm, David, Judith, Sarah, Carol, Barry , Philip, Lois, and Sheila for a great turnout for Tax Day Tabling at Natick Library. Many positive responses from passersby-I am even more convinced that the polls are right: people would rather cut the military than Medicare.

MetroWest Peace Action Monthly Meeting

Who We Are

MetroWest Peace Action is a coalition of groups and individuals in the area west of Boston whose mission is to provide opportunities locally to promote peace and justice. Participants are from several towns including Natick, Framingham, Weston, Southborough, Walpole, Sherborn, Millis, Wayland, Sudbury, and Holliston. Founded in 2009 to strengthen our voice to end war, prevent violence and support the non-violent resolution of conflicts.

A message from New Priorities Network -the national coalition -1/27/11Forty-six states are cutting their budgets. Fourteen to 100 cities could face bankruptcy this year. Local governments are closing libraries and schools, cutting vital safety net programs, selling off valuable public assets, and trying to balance their budgets on the backs of their employees. People are hurting and they’re angry. We can turn that anger into a political crowbar by using local resolutions to end the wars, cut Pentagon spending, and fund our communities. A resolution campaign will allow you to: · Build an ongoing coalition with unions, community organizations, and people who are being hurt by budget cuts and layoffs; Hold public hearings that mobilize your coalition, bring in new people, publicize our campaign, put pressure on elected officials, and start a real dialogue about our national priorities; · Conduct an energetic and creative public relations and educational campaign, · Engage local elected officials in pressing Congress to adopt our new priorities; · Put real grassroots pressure on your member of Congress; and · Build relationships that you will need in our multi-year campaign to cut war spending and fund our communities. For more details see www.newprioritiesnetwork.org.

$220,000,000 from Natick for wars since 2001

$45,000,000 from Millis for wars since 2001

Recent letters to the Editor - thanks Sarah!

NATICK — When veterans come home The MetroWest Daily News Posted Nov 16, 2010 @ 12:32 PM Veterans Day is Thursday, and for a few minutes or a few hours we will think about those who have served in the military. As the parent of an Army Reserve soldier who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, I would like to take a few more minutes to talk about veterans. Veterans who return from these wars are now homeless in huge numbers, they are twice as likely to be unemployed as those who have never served in the armed forces. Reservists and national Guard soldiers find it difficult to find a job when employers know they will probably be redeployed. Multiple deployments mean that people who have not fully healed from their last experience at war return to foreign occupations exhausted and in pain. During the flurry of elections which just ended, I did not hear the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq discussed. Instead of looking at the billions spent on almost a decade of war, we are focused on how to cut back on Medicaid or social programs which soldiers and their families desperately need. For those of you who voted to end the tax on alcohol, do you know that you will be responsible for closing alcohol and drug rehab centers desperately needed by those who struggle with addiction? Soldiers return to families who have been struggling with a missing parent for over a year. They come back with injury, nightmares, anxiety and all too often addictions to drugs and alcohol which are the only means they have to assuage their pain. They return to children who find their newly returned parent a stranger, and at the same time, the child's school must cut counselors and teachers because we "can't afford" these luxuries. What is that we send our soldiers to defend? As civilians we have a responsibility to those who have chosen to serve the rest of us. If we ignore the wars we currently fund, if we turn our heads as the human cost of these wars walk our streets, we cannot complain about the destruction of our communities and we should understand the lack of real understanding and respect veterans feel when they return home. SARAH FUHRO, Natick

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